Thank God for Mary Beard. Sure, she’s wrong about Jeremy Corbyn. She was wrong about 9/11. She’s wrong about plenty. But let’s talk about what matters. She’s right about Ancient Rome.
It’s rare to see Boris Johnson lose a popular vote. Last night, Beard trounced him at the Intelligence Squared Greece vs Rome debate, winning the day for Rome with a 9% swing. This was also a fundraiser for one of the most worthy educational charities I know: Classics for All encourages access to ‘elite’ classical subjects in state schools, teaching teens that you don’t have to be Bullingdon material to ‘get’ Boethius. So there was something uncomfortable, not just about Boris’ presence, but in the showbizzy nature of such a celebrity wrestling match, all this intellect as conspicuous consumption (2000 tickets flogged at £50, the price of looking cultured). It’s always fun, though, to see Boris put through his paces by a pro.
Defending Greece, Boris based his pitch on an idyll of liberal, democratic Athens (as Beard noted, he had less to say about Sparta).
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